Eyes that Change
by Viperidae Hunter
Summary: A slow updating HieiOC story!
1. AloneInside

Light brown eyes stared blankly at the soft off-white pages of the thick book in front of them. A soft sigh escaped silently as the slight ticking of a wall clock sounded out. Looking up from the book, the eyes darted around the room, looking at all the other students in their pink and red uniforms. Brown eyes darted towards the wall clock, seeing the seconds ticking down towards the dismissal bell.

With a bated breath, every tick seemed to slow down the closer it got till finally, "Ring!" The bell sounded and the rest of the students stood up collecting their belongings, getting ready for the walk home with their friends. "Urameshi-chan!" a teenage boy's voice cried out.

A boy ran in with a large grin across his face. His messy chestnut hair framed his face lightly, while his black eyes where shining in excitement. His Meiou High uniform had become unruly and crumpled in different places.

"T-Tsumari-san... What is it?" came the quiet and soft response of the owner of the light brown eyes, a plain looking girl. He smiled down at her, "the photography club is getting new cameras! We'll finally have the latest models since you and Minamino tied in the national tests last quarter!" The girl's brown eyes widened, a small smile taking over her plain face.

Before she could speak, a bright flash rendered her temporarily blind. Blinking to clear the spots from her eyes, she looked up at her friend in confusion. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm taking pictures of everyone who made this possible for the photography club, and since you made that deal with the headmaster..."

Another sheepish smile was sent her way, "To be honest, I didn't think you would actually tie the score with Minamino." A light pink came to dust itself on her cheeks.

"Well, Tsumari-san, when I heard how passionate you were about the photography club and how it needed new equipment. I couldn't help but want to make it possible." Her quiet voice trailed off as she could not look at the older boy any longer without stuttering.

A large smile came over his face before he grabbed her hands and bowed repeatedly to her. The commotion started to earn a lot of stares, though not just from the students, but from her teacher as well. "Tsumari. I understand that you are excited about the new funding for your club. But you must understand that Miss Urameshi has matters she must take care of."

With a startled look, her friend looked at he teacher worriedly, "Y-Yes Ginjirou-sensei! See you later Yuna!" Tsumari yelled out before running out the room, leaving behind a number of murmuring students.

"Tch. What does Tsumari-senpai even see in that girl?" a student whispered though, it was loud enough for her to hear. Another whispered joined in the chorus, "Right? Not only is she plain looking, I heard her brother is a delinquent at some crummy school." Yuna hung her head low, gathering her belongings quietly and heading out the door.

Her walk to the school's entrance was a quiet one, the cruel whispers fading into the background noise surrounding her.

The young girl's mind had been far to focused on getting home that she tripped over her own feet, causing her to topple onto the ground. Her brown eyes darted around, the area around her exceedingly blurry, confirming her revelation that her glasses fell off.

Yuna began to pat the ground around her, squinting her eyes in some hope that would miraculously help her see better. The was no such luck for her until she heard a suave voice say something, "Urameshi-san is it? Are you looking for these?" Someone tapped her shoulder, causing her to turn around and come face to face with red and pink blur.

A warm hand grasped hers, opening her palm and placing something thick and plastic on it. She recognized the item as her glasses, quickly placingg them on and coming face to face with the boy she tied with in academics, Shuichi Minamino.

Straight black hair fell in front of her face as she picked herself up from the ground. Bowing to her classmate she quietly thanked him. "Thank you for picking up my glasses Minamino-san, I am sorry to have bothered you." She ran off quickly as possible before he could speak to her.

Her feet carried her through the streets of the business district. The was a pain in her chest and stomach that teared at her very being. She did not know what it was, only it signaled great danger to her. Her feet slowed down the more crowded the streets became, until she came to a walk.

Slowly, she came to the residential district, walking to a small quaint looking house. It was a western style cottage with a modest patio, with a misshaped stone walkway. Bleeding hearts bloomed in front of climbing jasmine, the latter of which wrapped around the fencing of the home and the rails of the patio. Roses bloomed next to the cottage's mailbox, their colour a soft, pastel yellow.

The comforting scent of flowers washed over the small girl, relaxing the pain that she felt in her being and waving the danger away. Making her way to to door, Yuna turned her gaze to the driveway, where she hoped there would be a light blue car, only to be disappointed. With a heavy sigh Yuna walked to her home and went inside.

More silence greeted her, it had been like this for months, ever since her father said he needed to attend a few business conferences overseas. She had gotten used to the isolation somewhat, though she did grow lonely at times. Locking the door behind her, she walked to the kitchen. Setting down her school bag, she opened the refrigerator looking to see if she had any meals left, only to be proven wrong.

Yuna looked down at the blue and yellow watch on her wrist, seeing how long she had till the convenience store would close for that night, and from the looks of it she had quite a while. Grabbing her wallet she quickly left her home, the only on her mind was the choice of dinner. The streets had fewer people than earlier in the day.

The young girl's feet carried her into the small store, where she quietly picked out enough items to last her another week. Quickly, she paid for the items, bowing to the cashier before walking out and heading back home. The sky had become significantly darker since she had left school earlier that day, a sign that she was out far later then normal. She could not help the odd feeling creeping up the back of her neck as she walked back.

Something in the back of her head screamed out that something was not right, that something was very wrong. Yuna's suspicions were confirmed when she saw a man in a loose suit accompanied by a police officer standing infront of her home's walkway. The sight of them caused the hair on the back of her neck to raise and the beating of her heart grew fast and loud in her ears. The two men turned when they heard the sound of soft footstep coming closer.

There was a dread feeling hanging in the around them, a guilty yet mournful gaze as they saw the young girl. The man in the suit cleared his throat, almost as if to clear the air around them. He took in a breath before speaking, "Excuse me Miss.. Are you Urameshi Yuna?" She got the sensation that they two men infront of her hoped she was not, hoping that they did not have to give such dreaded news.

She nodded, more worry weighing itself on her heart. "Yes Sir, I am... Has something happened to my father?" It was the first question on her mind, she hoped they would say no and to her brief relief they did, "No, but I cannot say the same about your brother.." As soon as the words left the man's mouth time stopped around her, her chest tightened and it felt like her heart stopped beating.

"W-What... did you say?" Yuna asked out in a barely audible whisper, she could not believe what the man had told her, she refused to. Her brother was alive she knew it, this was all some joke he was pulling on her, a tasteless one. She was waiting for the punchline where he would jump out behind her and scare her. Brown, doe eyes started to tear over when there was no punchline, no brother jumping out, just nothing.

"N-No.. you're kidding, this is just another one of his jokes, Yusuke can't be gone... you're wrong..." Yuna stuttered out, large tears pouring down her face. She vehemently shook her head in denial, the bag of convenience store items falling from her hand as a mixture of sadness and pain filled her very soul.

The two men looked at the sobbing girl with a mixture of pity and grief, "Your brother was killed in a car accident saving a young boy.. Your mother is organizing his wake." The Suited man placed his hand on the small girl's shoulder when her frail body wracked violently from her sobbing. "If you would like we can take to her right now. It does not do well to leave someone grieving for their loved one by themselves." She could only nod as the two men walked her to the police car.

The drive to her mother's apartment was a quiet one albeit awkward. The two police gave Yuna a sideways glance, worry cast in their eyes. The sadness in her eyes dulled their brown colour, the girl looked dead. She caught a glimpse of her mother standing outside the door of the apartment when they arrived. The officers' noted that both women had the same catatonic look on their face.

Yuna's mother, Atsuko, looked at her with a spark of pained happiness. Yuna had rushed to her mother's side, hugging the woman with all her might. "Please go and rest Mom, I'll take care of everything.." Her mother nodded, her eyes distant as she walked to her room and closed the door. Yuna turned and bowed to the two officers, "Thank you, I'll take care of everything from here." Her voice, though quiet, was devoid of life, caused the two men to flinch.

Swallowing hard the suited man nodded and handed her his card. "If you need anything Miss Yuna, you can reach me at this number. You have my sincerest condolences." The two men bowed to her before driving off.

It took a couple of hours until Yuna got everything set up for her brothers wake. She guided her mother next to the shrine she had set up as some people started to come in. She noticed the strange looks that his classmates gave her, looking down she saw she was still in her pink Meiou uniform. She heard the students murmuring to each other about her.

"Whose that girl?" One asked, another quickily followed it, "I knew there was a rumor of Urameshi having a half-sister, I guess it's true.." A girl whispered, "Isnt that a Meiou High School uniform? What's a student from a prestigious school like that doing here?" More whispers surrounded that outside until she could hear loud yelling, from a familiar voice. "You can't die Urameshi! We never finished our fight!"

A tall, frumpy looking guy ran in, his pale face contrasted greatly with his orange pompadour. The boy was being held back, though not effectively, by three other boys, who were telling him they should get out of there and leave. Another commotion started as she heard a girl crying out. she barely caught a glimpse of the brown haired, brown eyed girl in a blue sailor uniform.

Yuna recognized her as Keiko, an old childhood friend of her brother. It seemed there were a lot of people who missed her brother. Though it was not under the better circumstances, the fact that there were more people who cared about her brother, slightly eased her heart.

Patting her catatonic mother on the shoulder, she quietly excused herself. Yuna walked out of the small apartment, coming face to face with a number of different students from her brother's school. A hush fell upon a majority of the students though there were a certain few along with teachers who were still giggling and snickering about her brother's misfortune.

Gritting her teeth she acted completely out of character, yelling out with tears falling from her eyes with just a flicker of anger. "How dare you! How dare you come here to laugh at the dead and rejoice in their misfortune! Of all the horrible things Yusuke has done, he never laughed at the dead. Never rejoiced in their suffering!" Shaking her head in anger, everyone became silent, some of the people walking out from the apartment to see what was going on.

"You despicable, worthless cowards! You are far worse then my brother could have ever been!" After her outburst, Yuna's body was shaking in anger and in grief, there was nothing but silence around her, everyone had been too shocked to say anything, In a very broken voice, "If you are going to continue to tarnish a dead man at his own wake, leave. I don't want to see your face."

Her head was down as more tear began to drop, wetting the ground as she clutched her hands into fists. There was a shuffle as a few people left, most remained to atleast pay customary respects to their fellow student. Yuna walked back in and sat next to her crying mother.

She felt a lot calmer now, though she could not shake the feeling that someone was next to her patting her back in pride. Looking over her shoulder, she could almost make out a green silhouette.


	2. SlowDay

Yusuke's wake lasted only for a few more hours after Yuna's uncharacteristic outburst.

The young girl could not bring herself to leave her grieving and pained mother. She quickly put her mother to bed, hoping some rest would do the woman some good. Through out the night she was unable to shake the feeling of being watched. Catching her brother's voice now and again as if he were yelling at someone, she would turn only to find nothing.

The sharp pain in her stomach and pressure in her chest grew more harsh as the night drew on, though a slight headache had joined in. Pushing the pain away, Yuna continued to clean the small apartment, the feeling of unseen stares never leaving.

It was not until midnight had passed that the teenager finished cleaning up the apartment, finally getting a small guest futon out to sleep in. A thought crossed her mind to call her school the next morning, to notify them that she wold not be attending, but the idea of her father finding out she was with her mother and neglected a day of her studies terrified her. A shiver ran down the girl's spine at the very thought of he father finding out.

A sad sigh left her lips as a thought rang through her head. _I can't even mourn my own brother's death_. Tears slowly fell from soft doe brown eyes, one by one until a sad sorrow filled voiced whispered out. "You stupid, despicable brother... Why did you have to go and be selfless for once and leave me alone..?" Quickly taking off her glasses, she rubbed at he aching eyes, trying to force the tears away.

Nothing seemed to work in her favor as the more she thought about her deceased brother, the more she cried. "Stupid, stupid, so stupid.." came her blubbered mumble. She could almost feel Yusuke's hand rubbing her head, like he used to when he tried to calm her down as young children. _There there you big baby_...

Yuna's head snapped up, she had definitely heard her brother's voice, "Y-Yusuke..?" Her voice trembled out, as she looked around her. She shook her head, "I need to rest. I'm starting to hear the dead..." she quickly changed into some light pajamas that once belonged to her brother when the two of them were far younger.

Laying down, she tried to drift off to sleep, albeit a restless one. Meanwhile above her small, sleeping form, two people sat floating near the ceiling looking down at her.

"I see your little sister doesn't take after you at all" A blue haired woman giggled, causing a teen with greased back hair to glare at her. "Tch. No, she doesn't. And she don't have too." His brown eyes looked down at Yuna with concern. "So why doesn't she live with you two?" The question made him glare at the ground. "Don't ask personal questions." He grunted out angrily, signifying that it was a very sensitive topic.

The conversation was left at that before they left to the spirit world to give the delinquent boy his second chance at life.

Morning came quickly to the small apartment. The soft, early sunlight streamed through the small kitchen window above the sink, waking the black haired girl. Yuna quickly got up and readied herself for the long trek to her school, while making her mother as much of a nutritional meal that she could from what little there was in the home.

Brown eyes glanced over to her mother's door before looking back over to the small shrine she had set up for her brother. Giving a small bow she exited the apartment with her bag in hand, beginning to walk to her school.

The feeling of being watched came back again as she made her way there. The hair on the back of her neck standing on end and the pressure on her chest returning, as well as another headache causing her to wince. Ignoring the pain she made her way to school.

Her classes went by normally, her teachers not paying any mind to the quiet girl. No one in the school staff seemed to know about the recent death in her family. Everything continued as if her brother never died, as if his existence meant nothing in the larger picture. Looking down at the math workbook on her desk, this macabre realization gave her an odd sense of comfort.

The day dragged on as the hours ticked by to the last class of the day, history, they had been going into greater detail of the Heian period in Japan. Yuna could not find it in her to pay attention, instead she absently took down notes.

Yuna's attention was finally grabbed when a large hand waved in font of her face. When she looked up her doe eyes met excited black ones of her upperclassman, Tsumari. "Urameshi-chan! How are you today?" He asked her brightly, his new club camera in hand.

Nodding her head politely to him in greeting with a forced smile, "Hello Tsumari-san, I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking, and yourself?" She had said as cordially as she could. The smile never left his face, his bright personality almost blinding her.

"I'm doing awesome! I came by to ask you once more if you'd wanna join the photography club?" He sounded so hopeful, with his black eyes twinkling happy. "Tsumari. How many times must you come here and bother your underclassmen?"

The sudden voice of her homeroom teacher rang out harshly, a pointed glare at the two of them, though moreso at her senpai. "Urameshi has no time for recreational activities other than her studies." He spoke to the young man harshly before sending him away. A deep sigh left the girl while her shoulders slumped forward.

Yuna quickly got her things together to prepare for her walk to cram school "Urameshi, I hope you weren't bothered by your fool of an upperclassman. Please understand, your father has such high hopes for you. You wouldn't let him or your school down now would you?" She looked down, shaking her head.

"No Sensei, I won't let the school or father down.." the girl spoke gently and respectfully, earning a proud smirk from her teacher. "Good now head to your cram session" "Yes Sensei.." Solemnly she walked towards the gates of the school once again by herself as flocks of students walked home together with their friends. An ache softly resonated in her heart at the groups of friends.


	3. MakethemStop

Yuna was a lonely girl, this was a blatant fact. After she turned five, her father gained legal custody over her, and kept her away from her older half-brother and mother. He started her education very early, cram school, private tutors, extended lessons, and intellectual clubs. Yuna had been cooped up and isolated from other children her age.

Though Yusuke would always find a way to go and see her. Once, when he was 8, he managed to board a train and get to her preschool to walk her home. Her father and their mother were not happy, for entirely different reasons. It had been those rare moments that Yuna always looked forward to.

Over the last few years, however, her brother's rare visits stopped. They were teens now and had seemed to go their individual ways. Yusuke a delinquent, while Yuna went with academics.

Looking at the happily walking groups made it very clear that she had an unconventional childhood. With the ache in her chest, she could not help but stare longingly at the groups. _What would it be like to have a friend? _She thought to herself.

She had not realized that the person walking in front of her had paused, causing her to bumped into them. "Ah! Sumimasen... Minamino-san." Yuna turned her eyes down to the ground, there was something about her classmate that set the girl on edge. "Hello again Urameshi-chan, how was your day today?" His question through her off guard, why would he ask her that?

"O-Oh it was fine, pardon me, but what brought such a question on?" She brought her eyes up to meet those of her classmate. For just a fraction of a second, the pretty, red haired and green-eyed teenager flickered to a fox eared man with silvery white hair and yellow eyes. A wave of fear washed over her, there was something hidden behind his kind, pretty face. Shuichi Minamino was dangerous, something in the back of her mind was screaming it.

He gave her a disarming smile, to no avail, as her gaze immediately turned back down to their feet. "You seemed very distracted in class today. I was worried something was amiss." His smile was polite with a mix of faux concern, he was asking out of observed obligation. "Arigatou gozaimasu, I appreciate the concern, but I am fine, it's just a reoccurring headache." She bowed politely, the way he was looking at her was unsettling. "I'll just head to the small clinic near my home. Thank you again for your concern" Concluding the conversation, Yuna hurried away from him.

The girl's head started to ache, a strong pulsing feeling rushing through her. Clutching her head, she flinched, the pain was similar to when her brother gave her noogies, or knocked on her head. "Oi! I ain't dead! Stop moping!" A yell came from all around her. She could almost recognized the voice as her brother's.

Shaking her head, the girl sighed once more as she continued on her way to her cram session. _I don't want to go to cram, I just want to go home and rest._ Yuna thought to herself as she continued her walk to the building. _But I'm too much of a coward to skip. _"Honk!" The horn of a car came blaring towards her.

Time slowed, she wanted to run, but her legs remained rooted to their spot. First came the shock, then sharp pain, and blackness soon followed. Her eyes opened slightly after what felt like a long second. She could see people around her, but everything hurt even the light so she closed them.

When she opened her eyes once more she saw two EMTs trying to talk to her. A green male school uniform caught her attention, as the wearer was not only floating above her, but a very familiar person. _Yusuke?_ She thought before she closed her eyes again.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. **

The sound of beeping jarred the young girl from a hefty slumber. Fluttering her eyes open the smell of antiseptic and bleach assualted her nose. The bright light and the smell did nothing to help the excruciating headache that had begun to develop. Her heart rate sky rocketed at not knowing where she was or how she got there.

Nurses soon came in to check on the girl frantically, _**Oh geeze, not another one. Why can't these kids just stop freaking playing in the damn street. Stupid girl.**_ A woman's voice rang in Yuna's head, causing her to freak out more. "Calm down, its alright. You're alright now. You got hit by a car and sustained a head injury." The nurse spoke in a fake concerned tone. "W-What?" A look of annoyance flashed in the nurses eyes before quickly vanishing.

"You've suffered a head injury, it's normal to feel a little out of sorts. The doctor is getting your CT scan ready." The woman slowly explained, her voice taking a more genuine tone. _**She's lucky to get by with a slight head injury, without so much as a scratch on the rest of her body. **_There was that voice again...

She could almost swear it was the nurse's voice but every time she heard it, it sounded like it was being projected into her very brain. More pain racked her head as a pulsing ache echoed in her brain, as more voices sounded around her. They were all different, some sounded close others were far.

_**I wonder if I'll ever get better..**_

_**I hate the food here.**_

_**Where's Mommy?! I wanna go home!**_

_**Don't worry Mother, I'll save you.**_

_**If I act sick enough I wonder I can get that cute doctor's number...**_

_**I hope my husband doesn't find out its not his.**_

Even more voices rang through her head. The pain grew to such a size that tears began to fall down her cheeks. "It hurts! Make them go away!" She choked out a sob, there was no way to dull or mute them. _Hey its okay I got you Yuna.._

Doctors and more nurses rushed in to check on the frantic and crying girl. "Someone get me a sedative quick!" She could barely make out the doctor's shout, until a quick, stabbing pain hit her leg and everything became muddled. The voices ringing out slowly lost their volume until Yuna met sleep once more.

Floating above the now unconscious 13 year old, a boy with greased back black hair watched the girl worriedly. "Come on, I'm about to come back to life. You can't go crazy on me now." Going down to her side, he tried to pinch her cheek with a weak scowl. "Seriously, you're not allowed to go and scare me like that."


	4. ComeandGone

A few days had passed since the car accident. Yuna had to be medicated from what doctors assumed to be chronic headaches from her head injury. The heavy duty pills dulled the shrill voices in her head, making them buzz in her mind. Atsuko, her mother, had just paid her a visit with big news.

Silence fell around the two women. A bright smile on the mother while a sullen and faraway look on the young girl. "He's coming back? But Yusuke's dead... The dead can't come back Mom." A bright smile came over her mother's face, "That's just the thing! His heart is still beating and he's breathing! It's a miracle."

A _miracle_, the thought of it had her inwardly scoffing. As much as she wanted to talk some sense int her mother, the blissful smile on the woman's face stopped her. Giving Atsuko a small, kind smile, Yuna held her hand and squeezed. "I'm glad Mom, I can't wait to see him wake up."

The two of them were interrupted by the on site doctor. A small smile lit his face, "Urameshi Yuna, you're free to go and check out. We will be prescribing you some headache medicine." He spoke sternly, "Please be advised however, these are very strong, so take them only when necessary. Is there any questions that concern you?"

A quiet moment passed through the room before Yuna spoke, "Is this the same medicine that you've been giving me while I've been staying here?" It did not take long for him to answer, "It isn't. What we have been giving you here has been known to be addictive, so its usage must be monitored at all times." He took a breath before continuing, "The dosage we are giving you is much lower as per medical regulations and more importantly, better for your health." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, keeping his smile.

Nodding to show the man that she understood, she felt dread fill her body. She did not care if the medicine was addictive, even now the voices were a dull roar in the back of her head. She could barely hear herself and others speak. If they gave her a lower dosage, what would happen? Even more alarming, if she told them what she was hearing, would they think she was going crazy?

Then again... Her mother literally just told her that her brother- Wait no, her _Dead _brother, with a capital D, was going to come back to life. _If Yusuke does come back to life, I will visit a hundred shrines and accept these voices as a gift from the gods. _Yuna had been focused on her own thoughts, she did not realize that another person entered the room.

"Excuse me, is this Urameshi Yuna's room?" the three occupants looked over towards the door. A slightly tall boy with curly, black hair and and black bespectacled eyes stood wearing Meiou's school uniform. He was so plain and underwhelming to look at, completely unremarkable that Yuna struggled to recall his name. _Yu something.. Kaiba? No that's a card.. Kainu.. No, that sounds like some kind of pirate. Kiba? No, that's the name of that guy from that one anime with the weird flower girl. What was his name? _

"Sorry for the intrusion, but I'm a classmate of Urameshi-san, I came to drop off her school work and her cram work." Now she remembered who he was, Kaito Yu. He was the second highest scoring student in their class, before Yuna tied with Minamino Shuichi and dropped him to third best. She remembered that heated glare she received when their scores were posted. He bowed to everyone before walking forward to politely hand her a large stack of papers.

"Arigatou gozaimasu Kaito-san." She thanked him politely only to receive an impassive glare. "Hn. It's no issue. The school wouldn't want one of their top scorers to fall behind in her academics" Kaito's snobbish attitude rubbed her the wrong way. "I'll be taking my leave." The boy spoke before walking out the room. "Yuna do me a favor," She looked to her mother, "What is it Mother?" "Don't ever date a boy like him unless he's rich." The girl blinked, looking at her mother incredulously, "O-Oh. Uhm, yes Mom."

Quickly gathering their stuff, the two women walked down to the hospital lobby to check out, "Now Yuna be good, I have to go and get ready for Yusuke to come back, be safe and don't play in the street again." The woman smiled and waved before absconding out the hospital doors. _Mother of the year... _Yuna thought, before walking out the hospital.

Yuna made her way to the small convenience store that she had gone to before the funeral. Quietly she made her way through the isles, picking out some basic ingredients and food. _I should probably hurry, this homework isn't going to do itself._ Bowing her head to the clerk, she placed the items on the counter.

_**Such a demure teenager, I should introduce her to my grandson. She'd make a perfect wife.**_

Yuna snapped herhead up quickly, making eye contact with the old man behind the counter. "Will that be all young miss?" His voice was raspy from age, yet her brain matched it to the whisper from the back of her head. "No thank-you sir, have a nice day" She bowed once more to him before paying and exiting the store. _I don't want to be anyone's wife. _A frown fell on her face. "Demure?" She whispered to herself.

The walk home was quiet and uneventful, though her heart jumped a bit in her chest upon seeing a light blue car in the drive way of her home. Her brown eyes widened catching sight of an imposing man with light grey hair, and hard steel eyes. He stood tall on the porch in a a dark blue suit, hands behind his back, his gaze trained on her the entire time.

Keeping her eyes down, she made her way to him slowly. Once she was a short distance away from him, she stopped to bow. "Welcome home Father, did your business go well?" Her voice was quiet, keeping her bow till he spoke to her. "I got the outcome I wanted there. Which I cannot say the same for you." Yuna flinched, she was in trouble, more than likely for being in the hospital. "Stand up, we will speak of this inside." her hands trembled, causing the plastic bag she was carrying to make a crinkling sound.

"I heard from the headmaster of your school that you only tied with the top student to help some worthless club. You then go to see that _whore_." His words were harsh as they stood in the home. His steel eyes getting harder with each sentence. "Then I find out that you stupidly got admitted to the hospital. Letting yourself get hit by a car, like that worthless half brother of yours." Everything he said cut her heart like a knife. _Stop it... Stop insulting them! _She screamed in her head, even though she knew it did nothing. "I think I've been far to kind to you, Daughter." His voice was grim and guttural.

Fear filled her body, "I was kind enough to let you keep some link to that whore and her boy, but its time you accept the family name and forget about those pieces of trash." His steel eyes were piercing, "I've already informed Meiou, you will no longer be held back by those lesser beings. Watanabe Yuna."

yuna bowed her head in shame at her father's declaration, tears filling her eyes. Every fiber of her being wanted to fight against him, scream in anger, yet as soon as she thought it she deflated. She could not do it, _I'm too much of a coward, nothing like Yusuke... _The sound of a fist pounding on a table tore her from her self deprecating thoughts. Quickly raising her head she met her father's frigid glare.

"Were you so lost in your worthless thoughts that you neglected to hear me?" There was a warning edge to his tone that made her wary. "N-No Father, I was simply acclimating myself to our family name." She carefully responded, so as not to aggrivate him further. "I should never have to repeat myself, I will not stand for your impudence any longer. I expect you to overcome everyone in that school. You're superior to all of those students in every way."

The look he gave her was hard, leaving no room for arguments, "Did they give you anything at the hospital?" His tone was quieter, almost soft. Keeping her head down, she nodded. "What for?" "Severe headaches." The was a somewhat flicker in his eyes. "When did they start, the headaches?" Apprehension filled Yuna's head, she was already in trouble for being with her mother, how much more would she get in if she told that she was at Yusuke's wake?

"A-After His wake Father..." She whispered, she didn't chance looking up at him, in fear of the scary look in his eyes. When she was met with silence, her curiosity got the best of her. Her normally taut jawed father was looking down at the table in contemplation.

"After His wake huh..? Interesting. Daughter, I will be going on another business trip. You will maintain your spot at the top of the class and continue your cram while I am away. Understand?" His tone held a finality to it, before he headed up to the second floor of the home to pack his belongings for another extended trip.

Yuna finally sat down at the table in the kitchen, the strength she to keep her standing had left her. Tears flowed freely down her pale cheeks, "And Daughter." Her head lifted abruptly, "I will be taking that medicine. It'll only be detrimental to your growth." Holding in a sob all she could do was nod as the bag was taken from her.

How was she going too deal with those voices now?


	5. CostlyThoughts

It had been a few weeks since Yuna's father left on another business trip. Her classmates had varying reactions when her real surname was called out during attendance, though she noticed none of them. Her heart had been overflowing with dread while her head was filled with jumbled words and sentences; none of which belonged to her. With each passing day, the pain within her head grew greater and greater. All the while her studies became harder, her few free periods were now taken up by extra tutoring.

The pressure was mounting on her shoulders, her teachers gave her extra work and every other day she was forced to take trial tests and exams. Unfortunately, she would receive an entire lecture on each incorrect answer. It felt like there was a balloon in her head that would get air blown into it with each minute of this torture.

Today she had hit an impasse; she had been swamped with homework from cram, her school, and her new tutors. These issues caused her now constant headaches to become migraines, that with each passing day grew more painful. The poor teenager could not sleep, developing purplish bags under her eyes; the only rest she had gotten was when her body would shut itself down from sheer exhaustion when she returned home from school on Saturday.

Every part of her body had been screaming at her to take a rest, but the fear of her father's words kept her going, no matter the pain. In the last few weeks her mother had been scrambling to get everything ready for Yusuke to come back to life. The young girl had her doubts however, even if his heart was beating and he was breathing. He was still in a coma, the odds of him waking up were low.

Yuna's back ached, she had woken up lying on the floor in the kitchen entrance. Her eyes felt heavy, while her limbs felt numb. There was a buzzing in the back of her head that only got worse as minutes ticked by. How long had she been on the floor, how much work had she failed to do? The anxiety that filled her being with these thoughts grew painfully through her chest, causing a burning feeling on the back of her neck that would not go away no matter what cool object was placed on it.

Hopelessness came alongside the anxiety, almost complimenting the crippling feeling. The buzzing had become a shrill whistling sound. Everything near her was too close, she was too cramped, the walls were closing in on her, but... Her body could not move, trying to use her feeble will to push herself to her feet, just to get nothing from her body in return besides slumping on her front.

_It's too close! Everything's too close!_

The thoughts within her head rang out sharply, almost a scream within her skull. Through the migraine, she could almost make out loud banging and scrapping around her. The sound of splintering wood and ripping paper accompanied it.

Opening her eyes, Yuna looked around, the furniture around her had somehow become splintered and broken, her homework and textbooks torn to shreds. More astonishing, there were still bits floating in the air, suspended almost by magic. Shakily she poked a random splinter watching as it moved through the air, flowing haphazardly towards the living room.

While this was happening the voices in her head had finally become quiet. There was no sound, no whispers for the first time since the hospital, just blissful silence. Her relief was short lived however as another sharp pain shot through her head, causing her to flinch. All the suspended items dropped to the ground immediately with loud clatters and bangs. Before she knew the whispering and talking came rushing back into her brain.

Tears filled Yuna's eyes, "It's not fair... ITS NOT FAIR!" She cried, not understanding what was going on, only that it was unfair for her to go through whatever this was. "P-Please... please make them stop.. J-Just make it stop" her voice came out hoarse and choked from the sobs that wracked her body. Objects started moving through the air again, yet unlike before the voices stayed and steadily grew louder with each passing second. The more she lost control of her emotions the faster things would lift and start to move, swirling about the small girl.

_What did I do wrong?_

_Why is this happening to me?_

_Someone please help me!_

_...Anyone.. please._

_It hurts.._

_I'm scared.._

There was banging on her door, though not that she could hear it over her furniture whooshing around her and the voices. The pain in her head began to spread throughout her body and cause a tingling sensation on the top on her head.

Her front door was broken down, a concerned shout calling out her name; only to be mostly drowned out and cut short by a chair flying at the intruder.

Yuna's eyes began to ache and water, as she turned to the muffled sound. Bright red hair and green eyes caught her attention, "M-Minamino-san?" Her voice came out as more of a sob than a shocked mortified one.

Her classmate dodged the chair that had flung itself at him. "You need to calm yourself.. it'll only get worse if you let yourself emotions take hold!" He looked up to make eye contact with her, a look of surprise and shock developed on his face.

The young girl's eyes had changed to the colour of molten gold, vividly glowing behind her now cracked and broken glasses. The usually straight hair was curling and whipping around wildly about her. The black had since faded away turning into an icy blue.

_**What in the world is going on? **_

The objects floating around Yuna stilled, frozen in the air as if they had not just been getting thrown around. "Yuna, you must calm down." Her classmate's voice was calm and smooth. His green eyes holding her now gold ones in a trance.

_**You must calm down; otherwise you'll effect the other homes!**_

His voice rang out clearly in her head, above all the whispering words and the staticky buzzing in her head. Her gaze looking at the young man deeply, large tears spilling from her eyes as the objects around her lowered to the ground. Yuna's lip quivered in in pain, her entire body was aching she couldn't bring herself to speak.

_It hurts.. everything hurts.._

_Am I going crazy?_

She thought, knowing he would never hear her. A soft smile lit his face, "I know it hurts Yuna. And I wish it were as simple as you going crazy" he told her gently. Coming to her side, he helped her up, momentarily pausing when she flinched from his touch on her arm.

Shuichi looked down at his distressed classmate. So his suspicions turned out to be true, she was not a normal human. Something clutched the red fabric on his arm, turning his green eyes back to her. A shocked yet relieved look filled her glassy eyes, before it became replaced by despair. "W-what do... How shou-" she could not form any sort of question, atleast not until after he got her to a safe place. Somewhere she did not have to worry about anything. But where could he take her?


	6. FeelsLikeSunlight

He settled on taking her to his home, since it would not look good if someone stumbled upon them. What with the splintered wood and furniture everywhere and her front door busted down; not to mention the emotionally distraught young girl in the center of it all. The added cherry on top was him, the male classmate who had no business being within her home. There were way to many things that could be taken out of context in this situation.

Shuichi gently tapped her shoulder, before helping her up and guiding the two of them up the stairs of her home. All the while calmly speaking to her as the made their upstairs, "I'm going to take you to my home, it's out of the way enough that you'll be relatively isolated from other people and their thoughts. Do you understand?" His tone held a soft firmness to it, trying to help her out of her state of shock.

All Yuna could do was nod, she heard him fine, though it felt as if she was a stranger within her own body. Everything felt automated, almost as if her body was in auto pilot when she was taking her cram tests. They stopped when they were at the second floor, her room was just a few steps down the hall on the right, the baby blue door the only splash of colour against the light gray painted walls. She clutched onto her classmate's uniform sleeve desperately. She didn't want to be alone and her pleading gaze on him said so in volumes.

Shuichi grasped her hand in his sleeve, giving it a gently squeeze and her a kind smile, "Go and change into something other than your uniform. I'll be right here, I promise." He hoped his voice was filled with some safety to her. He knew she was not comfortable around anyone in their school when he observed her in class. And from the visceral reaction she had when he tried to touch her arm, he could tell Yuna was not treated very kindly within her home.

While she was occupied within her room, Shuichi let his green eyes sweep through out the hall, there were no pictures except basic landscape paintings on the wall. The entire home was devoid of any warmth, and lacked that usual lived-in feel. He could not shake the feeling that the home was somehow staged, though that thought was pushed to the back of his mind when his classmate slowly walked out of her room. She left the door open behind her, allowing him to look at her room.

There was no cot, nor a real bed other than a makeshift one on the bay styled window in the room. The hardwood floor was polished and clean, a small rack with hung clothes sat in the corner while almost all the walls were covered in filled book cases. Save for the small letter desk next to her bay window bed, and a soft pastel yellow rug beneath it. A slight frown marred his usually handsome face. She did not even have a proper bedroom! It was like basic comforts were an afterthought, this observation atop the previous ones were beginning to make his blood boil.

Her small hand gripped his sleeve once more, and though she normally felt uneasy around him; she knew he was the safest person to be with right now. Looking down at Yuna, he smiled at her change of clothes. Yuna opted for a light blue baby-doll sundress and a pastel yellow zip hoodie. Her eyes maintained their new golden hue, though the glowing had diminished to a slight luster, making them most eye catching. The same could be said with her hair as well, the bright, ice-blue colour that fell around her shoulders in gentle waves.

Her awakening abilities caused her to change quite drastically, possibly due to the stress she was forced to endure. Her face had shifted to become more mature and eye catching; nothing like the plain and childish one Shuichi had been accustomed to seeing on a day to day basis. Yuna's body had also changed, her flat bust had filled out quite a bit, and her hips were wider. If he had to describe it to someone, the best way to be to say that her body had gone through an accelerated puberty. Truly the only thing that remained the same about her was her short height.

Slowly he pulled her hood over her head, "Let's hurry, that way we can figure out how to control those abilities." Yuna met his statement with a quiet nod, as they made their way out the home. She pulled the door closed behind them and locked it. She rushed back to Shuichi and grabbed his larger hand. "Let's hurry before Miss Azumi sees you.." She spoke just below a whisper, not yet ready to try and speak or talk with her mind being in a jumble. On the bright side she soon realized, it was quiet in her head.

Her classmate gave out a half-hearted chuckle, muffling the sound with his right thumb. "I would not worry so much, it's quiet likely your little issue rendered your neighbors unconscious from your earlier mood." He gave her hand another good-natured squeeze. She gave the neighbor hood a quick look around before nodding with him. Truly there was no way for either of them to know the extent of possible damage she had made.

Shuichi maintained his silence as they walked on, just keeping his grip on Yuna's hand in hopes it would help calm her more so. "H-How did you know I needed help?" She startled him by breaking the quiet atmosphere around them.

"I heard you calling for it. If you must know, thought projections as powerful as that are quite loud." he responded simply. A soft, almost bell like chuckle left her, catching the usual cool teenager off guard.

"I can only imagine your fortitude if you were the only one to remain conscious in comparison to my neighbors."

She had startled herself with how easily she that humorous statement, though it was more than likely her way of dealing with confusing thoughts and issues. She could not really know since she had never been put in this position before, nor had she ever had friends to share such awkward moments to do such a deflection.

_Friends... _

The same thought she had sometime ago about the subject came back to her. Timidly, she looked over to her classmate, pursing her lips to speak. However as soon as she took in a breath to speak all her confidence vanished.

_Why are you helping me like this... We aren't friends it makes no sense. I'm not worth helping._

Once again she could not find it in her to speak up. Yuna breathed out her nose as she looked away from him. Self loathing filled her heart, mixing with the shame of how weak a person she was.

"Normally I would be inclined to agree with your sentiments, but I can't help but feel the need to help you." He looked over at her, "It is also true we are not friends, not from my lack of trying mind." Yuna turned to face him with wide eyes, had she actually said those out loud? The young man's green eyes crinkled with a small chuckle. "No you did not say any of that out loud I can assure you. You are merely projecting your thoughts."

They continued to walk in silence for quite some time until they came to a medium sized home, above the mailbox was a nameplate which read "Minamino" in black. The front lawn of the home had a garden of varying flowers and an older woman tending them. Shuichi rush forward, "Mother! What are you doing here?" His voice held a slight quiver and was filled with worry. As the he fretted over his mother, Yuna stayed rooted to her spot in front of the home, unsure if she should impose on them.

The woman quickly shooed the fretting Shuichi away before laying her warm, brown eyes on Yuna. A beautiful, happy smile filled the woman's face seeing her, and she dusted her hands off before walking to her. "Oh my! Shuichi I had no idea you had such a pretty friend." She gave her a slight bow, "I was beginning to worry my son didn't have friends!" The happy smile of the woman filled with relief. The young girl could almost feel her eyes start watering up, she had never met a person so filled with kindness and warmth. The sense that everything would be alright washed over the blue haired girl.

Turning her head to her son the black haired woman softly goaded him, "Shuichi aren't you going to introduce me?" He gave her a smile that matched her warmth. "Yes of course Mother, this is Watanabe Yuna, she is a friend and classmate of mine." Yuna bowed deeply to the woman, unsure how to act in such a situation. Her awkward bow had caused the warm mother to laugh gently. "Oh you dear girl you don't need to worry about bowing so low. It's very lovely to meet you, I'm Minamino Shiori" Gently touching her shoulders to pull her up, and giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Come in! Come in! I'll get some tea ready, you look quite shaken up. Did something happen on the way here?"

Before she could say anything her classmate spoke, "Don't worry about making tea Mother, I'll take care of it." He ushered her inside along with Yuna. Holding a chair out for both of them at the nice dinner table, once they had their shoes off. "Unfortunately yes. Watanabe-san's house was broken into earlier and rendered her unconscious." An appalled gasp was heard from Miss Minamino. Who quickly reached for Yuna's face causing the young woman to instinctively flinch, lending credence to her classmate's fabricated story. Though Shiori quickly pulled her into a hug.

"And your parents Yuna? Are they alright?" Said girl was frozen, distracted by the woman's hug. She could not recall a time where she had felt so comforted. Tears filled her eyes again before falling slowly. "I-I'm sorry.." her voice cracked catching them by surprised. The young girl's hands shook, her fingers flexing just a bit before slowly holding the woman. All she could muster out was an apology, unable to answer anything else as she cried.

As his mother soothed the young girl, Shuichi made tea as quickly as possible. The sounds of his companion hiccuping and repeating apologies over and over. She had a valid point on questioning why he came to her rescue. Quite honestly he knew why, the girl was basically leaking spiritual energy. Helping her was more for his survival and goal, he could not risk the chance of running into someone from spirit world. Though over the course of the last few weeks, more spirit energy was practically pouring out of her with each passing day. Then that shock wave of energy he felt, it was like a beacon to every spiritually sensitive being in the area.

His green eyes swept over the golden eyed girl who was resting her head on his mothers shoulder and breathing heavily. With what he had seen at school with the staff and faculty, he could imagine that what her parents put her through at home was worse, for god sake she did not even have a proper bed. And like most of the students who spent time helping in the offices he did hear stories of the amount of tutors and cram she was forced to have. While he was musing over her circumstances the water had started to boil, prompting him to continue making tea.

Sniffling loudly, Yuna lifted herself off Shiori's shoulder, "I'm sorry Minamino-san I hope I didn't ruin your shirt.." She looked up at the concerned woman, before trying to collect herself. "My father is currently on a business trip overseas," Her body shuddered at the thought of her father while Shuichi set a tea cup in front of the two women. He observed her as he took his seat next to his mother. "And my mother lived at Yurei Manor, but she since moved I think.."

Shiori looked concerned as she spoke up to the young girl, "So you have no one to take care of you?" Yuna shook her head quickly, "No, b-but I'm used to it. I can take care of mys--" "Unacceptable. I'll clean up our guest room and you'll stay there until you're father returns from his trip" Miss Minamino's left no room for argument as Yuna sat there in shock. Shaking her head, she grasped the woman's hand. "Minamino-san no I couldn't possibly burden you like that. After all you just met me.." Yuna's plea was met with that same warm smile filled with kindness. "You're not a burden Yuna."

Shuchi interrupted the two, "Don't trouble yourself mother I'll prepare the guest room. Please just sit and rest." He placed his hand on her shoulder with a smile and a gentle squeeze, before walking towards the stairs. "Uhm.. Please, S-Shuichi-san let me help! I can't let you do all the work alone" Yuna quickly stood up and walked after him after bowing once more to his mother.

As she followed him up the stairs of the household, she took notice of all the pictures hanging on the walls. Some she had recognized as her classmate when he was younger with his mother.

This is the first time I've ever been in someone's home. This place just feels differently than my own home.

_This place feels...warm._

Hearing her projected thoughts once more cause him to frown. There was no way his suspicions were wrong, especially with her visceral reaction from just speaking of her father. All the while he still could not help the feeling that there was something more hidden deeper than he could see.

Just what was it?


End file.
